Macoscope

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

At the time of this project, I was at a company called De-De. It was a technology incubator. We had funding from a couple of investors, and we ran that company for about three years.

What is your position?

I was the CTO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Macoscope?

The biggest project we did with Macoscope was an email application on iPad and iPhone called Birdseye Mail. At that time, we didn't have a team dedicated to the project. We had some designs and some ideas, and we decided to work with Macoscope to build the initial product prototypes and the versions that were built out from those prototypes. We essentially worked together for about two years building Birdseye Mail.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Macoscope did the engineering of the application. We started prototyping the project on iOS 6, and we built the first version. Then, we decided to grow the team a little bit and have Macoscope work with us in New York on more of a collaborative effort versus them being purely a vendor. That worked out very well.

For version two, we had junior developers in New York City and a couple of members more senior on the Macoscope side in Warsaw. The idea behind that was we wanted to have a global team that would be able to parallel our efforts. 

They did a lot of ideation with us. In the beginning, we were building only the iPad application. Toward the end, we decided to build an iPhone version as well, and the Macoscope team was involved in that. They owned that process. We did have the design based out of New York City. We had a designer working with us. The vast majority of the prototyping was done in Warsaw.

How did you come to work with Macoscope?

We had a contractor in the early days at De-De who had worked with Macoscope before and they recommended we work with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It cost over $200,000. This was during the span of two years.

What is the status of this engagement?

It is completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We ended up selling Birdseye to Yandex, so that was very successful. 

We were featured in the App Store, and have thousands of users. We had articles written about the product in various tech publications– all very favorable articles. We've had a lot of success working with them. I would definitely work with them again.

How did Macoscope perform from a project management standpoint?

We used JIRA as the internal tool to manage the projects. We had daily calls to keep a rhythm. I think that's important, having conversations every day, especially for teams that are working remotely. That worked well. We also flew out to Warsaw a couple of times, and they flew out to New York a couple of times. It was a great collaboration.

What distinguishes Macoscope from other providers?

Macoscope has extremely talented developers. Whoever works with Macoscope is getting a great deal. That's rare because, often, when you work with contracting firms, it's not the best talent. Maybe those companies brand themselves very well as being tech visionaries, but it's not the best talent that gets attracted to work at these gigantic consulting companies. 

Is there anything Macoscope could have improved or done differently?

The time difference wasn't ideal, but we made it work. We had a great partnership with Macoscope.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Art Intelligence is a mobile app developer for the art world. We make it easy for galleries, artists, estates, auction houses, universities, and historians to create mobile experiences that can be used for education purposes as well as promotions. We mostly promote exhibitions and universities.

What is your position?

I am the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Macoscope?

We have a content management system that's quite sophisticated and allows for people to put a lot of information and data together to create an immersive art experience in a mobile environment. It's important that the mobile product that comes out of all this data works well and is user-friendly. We needed to hire a company that could create a great design for our app and collaborate with other agencies that were working on this project. Macoscope handled that beautifully.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Macoscope helped us to plan the project, and they developed the app fully. They provided project management for the project, and we worked on it together on a daily basis. Now, we're going through the process of submitting to the App Store and getting through all the reviews. I've done that a number of times before, and it's never an uncomplicated process. It takes a village to create any kind of software, and they are a village. Macoscope provided a full, end-to-end service during this project.

How did you come to work with Macoscope?

They were recommended by the original UX [user experience] designer of the project. I interviewed many people before I ended up hiring them, and they stood out.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It cost between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I do not have any results to share as we are going through the App Store review process right now.

How did Macoscope perform from a project management standpoint?

Macoscope provided an amazing project manager – a UX and UI [user interface] designer. Everything was put up on JIRA, so I could see exactly what was going on at all times. We were able to keep everything on track and still have it look the way we wanted. In fact, they made it even better than we could have hope for. That's a major plus of working with an organization like Macoscope. They take care of everything for you. 

What distinguishes Macoscope from other providers?

I've worked with a number of different teams. I wanted a team that could also collaborate with other developers. It was a massive task getting this data to line up and feed properly into the app, and Macoscope did it beautifully. That can be quite hard to do because it's a long and arduous process. Macoscope's attention to detail really sets them apart. They never let their foot off the gas. They were 100% on the ball at all times and exceeded my expectations. 

Is there anything Macoscope could have improved or done differently?

I have to say no. They paid great attention to detail, cared about the product, and wanted to ensure its success. They were there 100% of the way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company is a social network for LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, and queer] people. We are still in the startup stages.

What is your position?

I'm the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Macoscope?

We were looking to create iOS and Android apps for our existing web application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The concept of the app was clear when Macoscope joined our project. They have done an amazing job designing it. When they came along, we'd already done the website, so they had the task to transform the website into iOS and Android apps. I will say they improved our design a lot, and actually much of the design they did on the app was later implemented on the web. It's been an amazing project.

How did you come to work with Macoscope?

We used Google to find mobile app developers. We wanted a premium developer. We had three companies, a premium in Denmark, a premium in Warsaw, and a cheap one in Denmark. We felt like the two premium companies were very similar, but then it was cheaper in Warsaw, so we went with them. I will say we have not regretted it. They're not cheap, but they're very talented.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The project has cost between $200,000 and $1 million. This is only for the iOS app.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working with them. Right now, they're doing our Android.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have received amazing feedback from users. Actually, it was surprisingly good. We're getting 1,000 daily users right now. To be fair, I can't say if this is because of Macoscope's work or because they just liked the concept. I will say I'm surprised that is functions so well.  

How did Macoscope perform from a project management standpoint?

Macoscope's project management is brilliant. I'm a big fan of theirs. They communicate well and are great to work with. 

What distinguishes Macoscope from other providers?

I would say empathy sets them apart. I've worked with many IT [information technology] companies before and the one who developed our website, which was hired afterwards. Macoscope's team has amazing empathy. This is a social network, and it's for LGBTQ people. When we came, we were actually quite skeptical because we didn't know how they would react to it. I would say they have been our second family throughout the project. They're an amazing partner to have. They're nice and helpful.

You don't feel like you're ever troubling them. I think this is their strength because they built a good product. I think what they've done is create a working environment, which is very free and open. They don't mind telling us if they think we're wrong. They are very direct people.

Is there anything Macoscope could have improved or done differently?

I would like them to lower the price, I would say. Otherwise, I think the only problem we've had has been creating a contract, which has put us in a bit of risk. I think the reason we have had this problem is because, on our board, there are three lawyers and Macoscope has some lawyers as well. The moment you don't accept the conditions, which is to understand the contract, then it takes a lot of time. I would say that's the only thing we've had problems with. We shouldn't use the contract. It would only be if there were any problems, and there haven't been. I would say this has been the only negative experience I've had, and this is as much our fault as it is Macoscope's.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Memo is an anonymous messaging app for companies.

What is your position?

I'm the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Memo.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Macoscope?

Specifically, as it relates to Macoscope, we needed both an iOS and an Android app developed for our application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

When I came to Macoscope, we had largely wireframed out the app. They definitely did all of the design for the app. They managed the iOS and the Android app project developments, and they did all of the client side code.

Since we launched this a year ago on iOS, there have been a lot of iterations. We had the iOS app in production for about six months before we started on the Android. They did most of the UX [user experience] work for the Android piece, and a lot of UX insights, discussions and work on the iOS app, as we iterated through it.

How did you come to work with Macoscope?

A couple of my engineers knew someone who was an engineer at Macoscope. We were actually going to recruit him, and he said he was happy where he was, and that led to an introduction to Macoscope. Quite honestly, it was a real lifesaver at the time. We were about ready to embark on the iOS development project, and it wasn't really our core competency. We would have got it done, but nowhere near the level that we were able to achieve with Macoscope.

I've been building software and businesses for 20 years. I've worked with literally hundreds of consultants, and this is one of the best firms I've ever worked with, from top to bottom. In terms of just amazing communication, commitment, talent across the board, Macoscope has been really fantastic.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We've spent around $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's largely wrapped, although we're working with them on some updates on the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

It was an extremely well-received app. We had press from every major media source: the New York Times, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fortune, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and TechCrunch. The response has been pretty overwhelming for the app itself. We've won the US App Awards, in terms of design for the app, for both the Android and iOS app.

How did Macoscope perform from a project management standpoint?

Macoscope is superior to any company I’ve ever worked with. I've had very talented consultants work for me before, both in engineering and in software, but I've never had a team that I was able to hire wholesale and then just leave them with a large part of the project, and with relatively little involvement on my part. It felt like they were an extension of our team. I didn't have to project manage anything. It was fantastic. It was like a dream come true for me.

Is there anything Macoscope could have improved or done differently?

They're pretty deferential to our project vision and what we were trying to do. I think they're smart, talented and experienced enough to push back more.